As many of you may know, my spring break was spent in the iconic and beautiful New York City. When we first got there, the Coronavirus wasn’t nearly as serious as it is now, so we got to do everything we hoped to. But as our trip progressed, the virus was closing more and more attractions to the public, and the day after we left everything was shut down. It was difficult to have the best time we possibly could with all the uprising news about it being shoved in our face and the anxiety of bringing it back to the south. Luckily, it didn’t show too much severity until towards the end of our trip, so I got to enjoy most of New York stress free.
1st day: Monday
The day we got there, we didn’t have much planned so we walked around the city for hours going shopping and seeing the sights I’ve seen so many times in movies. It was so amazing seeing all the people from so many different cultures as we went to Little Italy and rode the subway (which was actually pretty gross and I will never do that again). We spent hours in Little Italy eating at the best restaurants and trying amazing desserts and after we headed back to where our hotel was. Our hotel was in the heart of Times Square, so we stayed out till about 11 pm sitting on the infamous red staircase in the center of all the blinking billboards and thousands of sky scrapers. I felt like I could stay there forever.
2nd day: Tuesday
The second day we were there, we slept in quite a long time because we had nothing planned that morning and later in the afternoon, we went to the well-known Museum of Modern Art or the MoMa. Which is the museum to hold one of the worlds most prized possessions: the original “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. While there was a lot of interesting and lovely art there, this was by far one of the coolest sightings in New York. After the museum, we went to a quaint French restaurant near by that was both expensive and exquisite. Apparently a popular thing in New York is French onion soup, which is one of the things we got while there. It was wonderful. The next thing planned on this day was my favorite part of the whole trip– Hamilton. This was the second to last day before Broadway closed down, so we were lucky to see it. I have been listening to the Hamilton playlist for months in preparation to see it performed and it was everything and more that I had hoped for :’)
3rd day: Wednesday
We woke up early on Wednesday to take a tour of the most popular icon in New York– The Statue of Liberty. She doesn’t look that big from the city, but once you get to Liberty Island and see her up close, it’s a whole nother experience. We climbed 10 flights of stairs to get to the pedestal on which she stood, which didn’t phase me all that much since I live on the 7th floor at school and take the stairs fairly often. After the Statue of Liberty, we went to Ellis Island which is directly across from Liberty Island and learned about my ancestors that passed through the very building I was in as immigrants. My great, great grandmother, Katherine (Katie who I was named after), went to Ellis Island to become an American citizen in the early 1900’s and we saw her records and where she signed her name as she filled out her papers in the building we were in. It’s so amazing to think I was in the same room she was in as she came to this country from Germany, barely speaking English.
After Ellis Island, we went to get some of the famous pizza that New York is so known for, and with that being said, New York has the best pizza I’ve ever had. We then went to see the 9/11 memorial which was such somber experience. I got chills as I saw the white roses placed on the black marble by the engraved names and felt so much empathy for those who lost a loved one in this horrible tragedy. I think it’s wonderful that such a tragedy has been marked by a beautiful memorial with sparkling waterfalls and white roses– a place where you can’t help but feel the reverence surrounding you.
4th day: Thursday
The fourth day was our last day there and we spent it shopping, eating the biggest and best plate of pasta I’ve ever had in my life, strolling the paths of Central Park, and seeing the breathtaking views from the top of the Roc (Rockefeller Center). By this day of the week, a lot of things were being shut down and our options were becoming more and more limited, but we still managed to find things to do.
5th and last day: Friday
By the time our trip was at its end, I was so in love with the city and hated to leave it, so I took my time waking up and packing… which made my mom very mad at me. We only had a few short hours to spend before we needed to leave to New Jersey for our flight, so we made sure to spend them well. We walked back to Central Park and walked past so many famous museums and other buildings that I’ve seen in so many movies and tv shows. On Friday, It felt like we were locals and knew our way around the city pretty well which added to the experience and really help make it what it was.
In conclusion:
Despite people being scared to be around me because I went to New York after the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus, my experience was so worth it and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
btw guys, I don’t have Corona.
Have a great week, wash your hands, and stay safe <3
This was an interesting read, mainly because, on one hand, you are describing a fun trip to New York, and on the other hand lies the threat of the Coronavirus. (side note: people not wanting to be around you because you went to New York is kind of meh). Anyway…this sounds like such a nice excursion, and I enjoyed reading about it. And did you see “Starry Night”? I would absolutely love to see it in person because I love Van Gogh’s art style. I have never been to New York, but I would be interested to travel there sometime in the future. I love hearing your descriptions, and I found it interesting how the threat of the virus escalated throughout your stay. Thank you for sharing; I always love reading about your travels.